Mueang ( Ahom: 𑜉𑜢𑜤𑜂𑜫; ''mɯ̄ang'', ), Muang ( ''mɯ́ang'', ), Möng ( Tai Nuea: ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ''möeng''; ''móeng'', ), Meng ( zh, c=猛 or 勐) or Mường (Vietnamese) were pre-modern semi-independent

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world throughout history, including cities such as Rome, ...

s or

principalities A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchical state or feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "principality" is often ...

mainland Southeast Asia Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

, adjacent regions of

Northeast India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...

and

Southern China Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions that display certain differences in terms of their geography, demographics, economy, and culture. Extent The Qinling–Daba Mountains serve as the transition zone between ...

, including what is now

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

, parts of northern

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, southern

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

, western

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

and

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

. Mueang was originally a term in the

Tai languages The Tai, Zhuang–Tai, or Daic languages (Ahom language, Ahom: 𑜁𑜪𑜨 𑜄𑜩 or 𑜁𑜨𑜉𑜫 𑜄𑜩 ; ; or , ; , ) are a branch of the Kra–Dai languages, Kra–Dai language family. The Tai languages include the most widely spo ...

for a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

having a

defensive wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with t ...

and a ruler with at least the Thai noble rank of ''

khun Khun may refer to: * Khun (, long vowel, middle tone), the colloquial Thai name for the Golden Shower Tree * Khun (courtesy title) (, short vowel, middle tone), a common Thai honorific * Khun (noble title) (, short vowel, rising tone), a former ...

'' (), together with its dependent villages. The mandala model of political organisation organised states in collective hierarchy such that smaller mueang were subordinate to more powerful neighboring ones, which in turn were subordinate to a central king or other leader. The more powerful mueang (generally designated as , , , or – with

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

as ''Krung'' Thep Maha ''Nakhon'') occasionally tried to liberate themselves from their

suzerain A suzerain (, from Old French "above" + "supreme, chief") is a person, state (polity)">state or polity who has supremacy and dominant influence over the foreign policy and economic relations of another subordinate party or polity, but allows i ...

and could enjoy periods of relative independence. Mueang large and small often shifted

allegiance An allegiance is a duty of fidelity said to be owed, or freely committed, by the people, subjects or citizens to their state or sovereign. Etymology The word ''allegiance'' comes from Middle English ' (see Medieval Latin ', "a liegance"). The ...

, and frequently paid

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of lands which the state con ...

to more than one powerful neighbor – the most powerful of the period being

Ming China The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

. Following

Kublai Khan Kublai Khan (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder and first emperor of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China. He proclaimed the ...

's defeat of the

Dali Kingdom The Dali Kingdom, also known as the Dali State (; Bai language, Bai: Dablit Guaif), was a Bai people, Bai dynastic state situated in modern Yunnan province, China, from 937 to 1253. In 1253, it was Mongol conquest of China, conquered by the Mo ...

of the

Bai people The Bai or Pai (Bai language, Bai: , ; zh, c=白族, p=Báizú), are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan, Yunnan Province, Bijie area of Guizhou, Guizhou Province, and Sangzhi C ...

in 1253 and its establishment as a tutelary state, new mueang were founded widely throughout the

Shan States The Shan States were a collection of minor Shan people, Shan kingdoms called ''mueang, möng'' whose rulers bore the title ''saopha'' (''sawbwa''). In British rule in Burma, British Burma, they were analogous to the princely states of Britis ...

and adjoining regions – though the common description of this as a "mass migration" is disputed. Following historical Chinese practice, tribal leaders principally in Yunnan were recognized by the Yuan as imperial officials, in an arrangement generally known as the

Tusi ''Tusi'', often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains", were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties of China, and the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties of Vietnam. They ruled certain ...

("Native Chieftain") system.

Ming The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of China ruled by the Han people, t ...

and

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

-era dynasties gradually replaced native chieftains with non-native Chinese government officials. In the 19th century, Thailand's

Chakri dynasty The Chakri dynasty is the current reigning dynasty of the Thailand, Kingdom of Thailand. The head of the house is the Monarchy of Thailand, king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the Rattanakosin era and ...

and Burma's colonial and subsequent military rulers did much the same with their lesser mueang, but, while the

petty kingdom A petty kingdom is a kingdom described as minor or "petty" (from the French 'petit' meaning small) by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. the numerous kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England unified into t ...

s are gone, the place names remain.

Place names

Place names in

Southwestern Tai languages The Southwestern Tai or Thai languages are a branch of the Tai languages of Southeast Asia. Its languages include Central Thai (Siamese), Northern Thai (Lanna), Lao (including Isan), Shan and others. Classification The internal classificatio ...

Cambodia

In Khmer, "moeang" (មឿង) is a word borrowed from the Thai language meaning "small city" or "small town."Headley, Robert K
"SEAlang Library Khmer"
''SEAlang Library'', 05/14/2018 Usually used as a place name for villages. * Moeang Char * Moeang Prachen

China

The placename "mueang" is written in

Chinese characters Chinese characters are logographs used Written Chinese, to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represe ...

as zh, c=勐, 孟, p=měng, labels=no, which is equivalent to and , both of which are spoken in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. }, a place in

Longling County Longling County ( zh, s=龙陵县 , t=龍陵縣 , p=Lónglíng Xiàn) is a county in Baoshan City, in the west of Yunnan Province, China, bordering Burma's Shan State to the south. Its capital is the large community Longshan (). The site of the ...

) , - , Meng Long , , ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥘᥨᥒ , , ᦵᦙᦲᧂ ᦷᦟᧂ , , 勐龙 , , , - , Meng Loong , , ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥘᥩᥒᥴ , , , , 勐弄 , , , - , Meng Mo , , ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥛᥨᥝᥱ , , , , 勐磨 , , Jiucheng Township , - , Meng Ham , , ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥞᥛᥰ , , ᦵᦙᦲᧂ ᦣᧄ , , 勐罕 , , , - , Meng Heu , , ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥞᥥᥝᥰ , , , , 勐秀 , ,

Mengxiu Township Mengxiu Township (; ) is a township in Ruili, Yunnan, China. As of the 2016 statistics it had a population of 11,786 and an area of . Etymology The name of "Mengxiu" means a place where wild ginger grows in Dai language. Administrative divisions ...

, - , Meng Ka , , ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥐᥣ , , , , 勐戛 , , Mengga , - , Meng Yue , , , , , , 勐约 , , , - , Meng Peng , , , , ᦵᦙᦲᧂ ᦘᦳᧂ , , 勐捧 , , , - , Meng Dui , , , , , , 勐堆 , , , - , Meng Ku , , , , , , 勐库 , , , - , Meng Yoong , , ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥕᥩᥒᥰ , , , , 勐永 , , , - , Meng Keng , , ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥐᥦᥒᥰ , , , , 勐简 , , , - , Meng Seng , , ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥔᥫᥒᥴ , , , , 勐省 , ,

Mengsheng Mengsheng Town () is a rural town in Cangyuan Va Autonomous County, Yunnan, China. The town shares a border with Menglai Township and Nuoliang Township to the west, Yanshuai Town to the east, Gengma Dai and Va Autonomous County to the north, and ...

, - , Meng Jiao , , , , , , 勐角 , ,

Mengjiao Dai, Yi and Lahu People Township Mengjiao Dai, Yi and Lahu Ethnic Township (), commonly abbreviated as Mengjiao Ethnic Township or Mengjiao Township, is a rural township in Cangyuan Va Autonomous County, Yunnan, China. it had a population of 13,990 and an area of . It is surround ...

, - , Meng Nuo , , , , , , 勐糯 , , , - , Meng Xian , , , , , , 勐先 , , , - , Meng Nong , , , , , , 孟弄 , , , - , Meng Ban , , , , , , 勐班 , , Mengban Township , - , Meng Da , , , , , , 勐大 , , , - , Meng Lie , , , , , , 勐烈 , , , - , Meng Ma , , , , , , 勐马 , , , - , Meng Suo , , , , , , 勐梭 , , , - , Meng Ka , , , , , , 勐卡 , , , - , Meng La , , , , , , 勐拉 , , , - , Meng Qiao , , , , , , 勐桥 , , , - , Meng Wang , , , , , , 勐旺 , , , - , Meng Hun , , , , , , 勐混 , , , - , Meng Man , , , , , , 勐满 , , , - , Meng A , , , , , , 勐阿 , , , - , Meng Song , , , , , , 勐宋 , , , - , Meng Wang , , , , , , 勐往 , , , - , Meng Lun , , , , , , 勐仑 , , , - , Meng Ban , , , , , , 勐伴 , ,

Laos

Laos is colloquially known as '' Muang Lao'', but for

Lao people The Lao people are a Tai peoples, Tai ethnic group native to Southeast Asia, primarily inhabiting Laos and northeastern Thailand. They speak the Lao language, part of the Kra–Dai languages, Kra–Dai language family, and are the dominant ethni ...

, the word conveys more than mere administrative district. The usage is of special historic interest for the Lao; in particular for their traditional socio-political and administrative organisation, and the formation of their early (power) states, described by later scholars as

Mandala (Southeast Asian political model) ''Mandala'' ( is a term used to describe decentralized political systems in medieval Southeast Asia, where authority radiated from a core center rather than being defined by fixed territorial boundaries. This model emphasizes the fluid dist ...

Provinces of Laos Laos is divided into 17 provinces (Lao alphabet, Lao ແຂວງ, , , , or ) and 1 prefecture, the Vientiane capital city municipality (ນະຄອນຫຼວງ, nakhon luang, or ''Na Kone Luang Vientiane''). The special administrative zone ...

are now subdivided into what are commonly translated as

districts of Laos A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

, with some retaining Muang as part of the name: *

Muang Sing Muang Sing (''Mueang Sing'') (, ) is a small town and district (''muang'') in Luang Namtha Province, northwestern Laos, about 60 kilometres northwest of the town of Luang Namtha and 360 kilometres northwest of Vientiane. It lies very close to the b ...

Muang Xay Muang Xay (, ), also referred to as Oudomxai or Oudomxay, is the capital city of Oudomxai Province, Laos. Naming Legend has it that in the year 1323, the inhabitants of the village Ban Luang Cheng in "Takka Sila" town were in the forest to cut ...

*Former Muang **

Muang Phuan Muang Phuan (, ; ; Country of Phuan) or Xieng Khouang (, ; ), also known historically to the Vietnamese as Trấn Ninh (chữ Hán: 鎮寧; lit. "securement of peace"), was a historical principality on the Xiang Khouang Plateau, which constitut ...

(modern

Phonsavan Phonsavan (also spelled Phonesavanh, , ), population 37,507, is the capital of Xiangkhouang Province. Phonsavan is known for the nearby Plain of Jars, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. History The recorded history of Xiangkhouang is interlinked ...

, capital city of

Xiangkhouang Province Xiangkhouang (Lao alphabet, Lao: wikt:ຊຽງຂວາງ, ຊຽງຂວາງ, meaning 'Horizontal City') is a province of Laos on the Xiangkhoang Plateau, in the nation's northeast. The province has the distinction of being the most heavi ...

) **

Muang Sua Muang Sua (, ) was the name of Luang Phrabang following its conquest in 698 by a Tai peoples, Tai/Lao prince, Khun Lo, who seized his opportunity when the king of Kingdom of Nanzhao, Nanzhao was engaged elsewhere. Khun Lo had been awarded the tow ...

Myanmar

Mong Mao Mong may refer to: People *A proposed original name for the Hmong people, based on the main group, the Mong community *Bob Mong (), American journalist and academic administrator *Henry Mong (), American surgeon and Presbyterian missionary *Mong M ...

Mong Hsat Mong Hsat ( Burmese: မိုင်းဆတ်မြို့, MLCTS: ''muing.chat.mrui'') is a town in the Shan State of Myanmar, the capital of Mong Hsat Township. It is served by Monghsat Airport. History Monghsat State (Mönghsat, where ...

* Mong Hpayak *

Mong Ton Mong Ton (Burmese language, Burmese: မိုင်းတုံမြို့, MLC Transcription System, MLCTS: ''muing.tu.mrui'') also known historically as Möngtung and Maington, is the capital of Mong Ton District and seat of Mong Ton Townsh ...

Mong Nai Möng Nai or Mongnai is a town in Mong Nai Township in the Shan State of Burma. ''Mong'' is equivalent to Mueang. History Prior to World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a W ...

Mong Ping Mong Ping () is a town and seat of Mong Ping Township in Kengtung District, Shan State in eastern Myanmar. The town has 3 wards- Ah Lel Paing, Auk Zay Tan and Ping Sang of which Ping Sang is the most populous with 3297 people in 2023. The town i ...

Mohnyin Mohnyin (, ; ) is a town in Kachin State, Myanmar. It is the administrative center for both Mohnyin Township and Mohnyin District Mohnyin District () is a Districts of Burma, district of the Kachin State in northern Myanmar. The administrative c ...

(former Mongyang State) *

Mogaung Mogaung ( ; ) is a town in Kachin State, Myanmar. It is situated on the Mandalay-Myitkyina railway line. History Mogaung or Möng Kawng was the name and capital (royal seat) of a relatively major one of the petty Shan (ethnic Tai) princ ...

(former Mongkawng) *

Momauk Momauk (, ) is a town in the Kachin State in the northernmost part of Myanmar. During the Myanmar civil war, the area between Momauk and Bhamo became a focal point of intense conflict, and Momauk was captured by the Kachin Independence Army ...

Mogok Mogok (, ; Shan language, Shan: , ) is a town of around 90,000 people in the Thabeikkyin District of Mandalay Region of Myanmar, located north of Mandalay and north-east of Shwebo, Sagaing, Shwebo. History Mogok is believed to be founded in ...

Momeik Momeik (), also known as Möng Mit (), is a town situated on the Shweli River in northern Shan State. It is the capital of Mongmit District and the principal town of Mongmit Township, Myanmar. Transport It is connected by road to Mogok and its r ...

Northeast India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...

* Mong Dun Shun Kham or Ahom kingdom – The Mueang (currently the states of

and

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeast India. It was formed from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and India declared it as a state on 20 February 1987. Itanagar is its capital and la ...

North-East India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political administrative division of the country. It comprises eight states—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, M ...

), established by a Tai Prince

Sukaphaa Sukaphaa (), also Siu-Ka-Pha, the first Ahom kingdom, Ahom Ahom Dynasty, king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom and the architect of Assam. A prince of the Su/Tsu (Tiger) clan of the Mao-Shan sub-tribe originally from prese ...

in 1228 with 9000 Tai People migrated from

called as Ahom by local people, transformed itself into a huge kingdom by the 17th century that withstood the might of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

Thailand

Thailand is colloquially known as ''Mueang Thai''. After the '' Thesaphiban'' reforms of Prince

Damrong Rajanubhab Prince Tisavarakumara, the Prince Damrong Rajanubhab (; Full transcription is "Somdet Phrachao Borommawongthoe Phra-ongchao Ditsawarakuman Kromphraya Damrongrachanuphap" (สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ พ� ...

, city-states under

Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

were organized into

monthon ''Monthon'' (), also known as ''Monthon Thesaphiban'' (; Mṇṯhl Theṣ̄āp̣hibāl; , ), were Administrative divisions of Thailand, administrative subdivisions of Thailand at the beginning of the 20th century. The Thai word ''monthon'' is a tr ...

(, Thai translation of

mandala A mandala (, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid ...

), which was changed to ''

changwat The provinces of Thailand are administrative divisions of the government of Thailand.Office of the Council of State of ThailandNational Administration Act 1991 and its amendments The country is divided into 76 provinces (, , ) proper, with one add ...

'' () in 1916. ''Mueang'' still can be found as the term for the capital districts of the provinces (''

amphoe mueang An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', , )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to counties. The chief district ...

''), as well as for a municipal status equivalent to town (''

thesaban mueang Thesaban (, , , Pali: desapāla (protector of region) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' ...

''). In standard Thai, the term for the country of Thailand is ประเทศไทย, rtgs: Prathet Thai.

Mueang toponyms

''Mueang'' still forms part of the

placenames Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper nam ...

of a few places, notably

Don Mueang District Don Mueang (, , ; ; ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. It is bounded by (from north clockwise): Mueang Pathum Thani and Lam Luk Ka of Pathum Thani province; Sai Mai, Bang Khen and Lak Si of Bangkok; and Pak Kret ...

, home to

Don Mueang International Airport Don Mueang International Airport — known as Bangkok International Airport before 2006 — is one of two international airports serving Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, the other being Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). The airport is considered ...

; and in the

Royal Thai General System of Transcription The Royal Thai General System of Transcription (RTGS) is the official system for rendering Thai words in the Latin alphabet. It was published by the Royal Institute of Thailand in early 1917, when Thailand was called Siam. It is used in roa ...

''Mueang Phatthaya'' () for the

self-governing Self-governance, self-government, self-sovereignty or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any ...

municipality of

Pattaya Pattaya is a city in Eastern Thailand, the second-largest city in Chonburi province and the List of municipalities in Thailand, eighth-largest city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, and h ...

Nakhon mueang

''Nakhon'' () as meaning "city" has been modified to ''

thesaban nakhon Thesaban (, , , Pali: desapāla (protector of region) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' ...

'' (), usually translated as "

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

". It still forms part of the name of some places. *

Krung Thep Maha Nakhon Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populatio ...

* Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya *

Nakhon Lampang Lampang, also called Nakhon Lampang (; , ) to differentiate from Lampang province, is the third largest city in northern Thailand and capital of Lampang province and the Mueang Lampang district. Traditional names for Lampang include Wiang Lako ...

Nakhon Nayok Nakhon Nayok is a capital of Nakhon Nayok province in the central region of Thailand. The town ('' thesaban mueang'') covers Nakhon Nayok subdsitrict (''tambon'') and parts of Tha Chang, Ban Yai, Wang Krachom, and Phrommani subdistricts, Mueang ...

Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima (, ) is the capital of Nakhon Ratchasima province, the largest city in Isan, Northeastern Thailand and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, third-largest city in Thailand. It is 250 km (1 ...

Nakhon Si Thammarat Nakhon Si Thammarat (, ; from ) is a city municipality (''thesaban nakhon'') located in Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat, the capital of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Nakhon Si Thammarat Province is situated in the South of Thailand. It is about s ...

* Nakhon Thai * Renu Nakhon

Buri mueang

Sung Noen District Sung Noen (, ; , ) is a district (''amphoe'') in western part of Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeastern Thailand. History The literal translation of ''Sung Noen'' is 'high hills', as the area has two high (sung) hills (noen) beside a pond, and ...

is noted for having been the site of two ancient cities: Mueang Sema and Khorakhapura.

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

''púra'' became

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

''puri'', hence Thai , (buri) all connoting the same as Thai ''mueang'': city with defensive wall. "Khorakhapura" was nicknamed "Nakhon Raj," which as a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

with Sema, became Nakhon Ratchasima. Though dropped from the name of this mueang, Sanskrit ''buri'' persists in the names of others. * Buriram * Chonburi * Sing Buri * Suphan Buri * Thonburi

Vietnam

* Muong Cha *

Muong La Muong may refer to: *Muong people, third largest of Vietnam's 53 minority groups **Muong language, spoken by the Mường people of Vietnam *No Muong, king of the southern Laotian Kingdom of Champasak in 1811 * Mueang Mueang ( Ahom: 𑜉𑜢� ...

Mường Lay Mường Lay is a town of Điện Biên Province in the Northwest region of Vietnam. Geography Administrative divisions Muong Cha has 3 administrative units, including two wards (''phường'') and one commune (''xã''): * Sông Đà (ward) *Na ...

* Muong Lat *

Muong Khuong Muong may refer to: *Muong people, third largest of Vietnam's 53 minority groups **Muong language, spoken by the Mường people of Vietnam *No Muong, king of the southern Laotian Kingdom of Champasak in 1811 * Mueang Mueang ( Ahom: 𑜉𑜢� ...

* Muong Nhe * Muong Te * Muong Thanh

Etymology

:'' NB: Luo

et al. References Notes References Further reading * * External links * {{Latin phrases E ...

employ / ü/ which may erroneously scan as /ii/.''

Müang Fai irrigation system

''Müang Fai'' is a term

reconstruct Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

ed from

Proto-Tai Proto-Tai is the reconstructed proto-language (common ancestor) of all the Tai languages, including modern Lao, Shan, Tai Lü, Tai Dam, Ahom, Northern Thai, Standard Thai, Bouyei, and Zhuang. The Proto-Tai language is not directly attes ...

, the common ancestor of all

. In the

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

of Southern China region, the term described what was then a unique type of irrigation engineering for wet-rice cultivation. ''Müang'' meaning 'irrigation channel, ditch, canal' and ''Fai'', 'dike, weir, dam.' together referred to gravitational irrigation systems for directing water from streams and rivers. The Proto-Tai language is not directly attested by any surviving texts, but has been reconstructed using the

comparative method In linguistics, the comparative method is a technique for studying the development of languages by performing a feature-by-feature comparison of two or more languages with common descent from a shared ancestor and then extrapolating backwards ...

. This term has Proto-Tai-tone A1. All A1 words are rising tone in modern Thai and Lao, following rules determined for tone origin. Accordingly, the term is: :in modern :in modern .http://sealang.net/lao/dictionary.htm ເຫມືອງຝາຽ ( NB: SEAlang Library's Lao entry omits tonal marking – a typographical error.) Different linguistic tones give different meanings; scholarship has not established a link between this term and any of the terms which differ in tone.

Origin of mueang

Mueang conveys many meanings, all having to do with administrative, social, political and religious orientation on wet-rice cultivation. The origin of the word ''mueang'' yet remains obscure. In October 2007, The National Library of Laos, in collaboration with the

Berlin State Library The Berlin State Library (; officially abbreviated as ''SBB'', colloquially ''Stabi'') is a universal library in Berlin, Germany, and a property of the German public cultural organization the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (). Founded in ...

and the

University of Passau The University of Passau (''Universität Passau'' in German) is a public research university located in Passau, Lower Bavaria, Germany. Founded in 1973, it is the youngest university in Bavaria and consequently has the most modern campus in the ...

, started a project to produce the Digital Library of Lao Manuscripts. Papers presented at the Literary Heritage of Laos Conference, held in

Vientiane Vientiane (, ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Laos. Situated on the banks of the Mekong, Mekong River at the Thailand, Thai border, it comprises the five urban districts of Vientiane Prefecture and had a population of 840,000 ...

in 2005, have also been made available. Many of the mss. illuminate the administrative, social, political, and religious demands put on communities in the same watershed area that insured a high degree of cooperation to create and maintain irrigation systems (''müang-faai'') – which probably was the primary reason for founding ''mueang''.

Kham Mueang

''Kham Mueang'' () is the modern spoken form of the old

Northern Thai language Northern Thai (), also called Kam Mueang (, กำเมือง) or Lanna, is the language spoken by the Northern Thai people of Thailand. It is a Southwestern Tai languages, Southwestern Tai language. The language has approximately six mill ...

that was the language of the kingdom of

Lan Na The Lan Na kingdom or the Kingdom of Lanna (, , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; , , ), also known as Lannathai, was an Indianized state centered in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th centuries. The cultural developmen ...

(Million Fields).

Central Thai Thai,In or Central Thai (historically Siamese;Although "Thai" and "Central Thai" have become more common, the older term, "Siamese", is still used by linguists, especially when it is being distinguished from other Tai languages (Diller 2008:6 ...

may call

northern Thai people The Northern Thai people or Tai Yuan (, ), self-designation ''khon mueang, mu(e)ang'' ( meaning "people of the (cultivated) land" or "people of our community"), are a Tai peoples, Tai ethnic group, native to nine provinces in Northern Thailan ...

and their language

Thai Yuan The Northern Thai people or Tai Yuan (, ), self-designation ''khon mu(e)ang'' ( meaning "people of the (cultivated) land" or "people of our community"), are a Tai ethnic group, native to nine provinces in Northern Thailand, principally in t ...

. They call their language ''Kham Mueang'' in which ''Kham'' means language or word; ''mueang''; town, hence the meaning of "town language," specifically in contrast to those of the many hill tribe peoples in the surrounding mountainous areas.

References

External links

* {{Wiktionary-inline, mueang Former countries in Southeast Asia Former countries in Thai history Former countries in Chinese history Subdivisions of Laos Subdivisions of Myanmar Subdivisions of Thailand Thai words and phrases Types of administrative division Former countries in Indian history

Place names

Cambodia

China

Laos

Myanmar

Northeast India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...

Thailand

Mueang toponyms

Nakhon mueang

Buri mueang

Vietnam

Etymology

Müang Fai irrigation system

Origin of mueang

Kham Mueang

See also

References

External links